This invention relates to a seat for a vehicle and more particularly to an improved seat for an electrical power-assisted vehicle, such as a bicycle.
There has been proposed a class of vehicles wherein the vehicle is powered at least in part by an electric motor and wherein the vehicle is quite compact and small, such as a bicycle or the like. With these types of vehicles, the electric motor may either provide the full power for the vehicle or, more commonly, may provide an assist power to assist the rider under at least some riding circumstances.
Obviously, batteries must be provided for powering the electric motor. These batteries require servicing, such as recharging or replacement, and thus must be mounted in such a way that they can be conveniently accessed. It is also desirable if the batteries can be completely removed from the vehicle so that they can be taken to a place where they can be charged.
The batteries also have considerable bulk. Therefore, in order to avoid intrusion on the other components of the vehicle, it has been proposed to mount the batteries in a case that is positioned at least in substantial part beneath the rider""s seat. The rider""s seat has been mounted in such a way that it can be pivoted or moved away from the battery case so as to facilitate insertion of and removal of the batteries. In one type of the previously proposed arrangement of this type have incorporated latching mechanisms which are mounted at least in substantial part on the seat post, and thus do not move away from the battery case, even when the seat is moved. Thus, access to the battery is still somewhat restricted.
In another type of prior art construction, the seat post itself incorporates a pivoted joint which permits the upper portion of the post and attached seat to pivot as a unit to access the battery. Although such an arrangement facilitates battery access, it compromises the adjustment of the seat. This is because the post joint must be maintained in the seat pillar of the frame when the bicycle is ridden. This severely limits the degree of upward seat adjustment.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved pivotally mounted seat and latching mechanism therefor for such vehicles.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved, compact, pivotally supported vehicle seat wherein the latching mechanism is carried in major portion by the seat so as to also be moved free of the battery when the seat is in its released position.
It is a yet further object of this invention to provide an improved latching mechanism for a pivotally supported vehicle seat.
This invention relates to a pivoted saddle-type seat for a vehicle having a seat post. A first bracket is affixed to an upper end of the seat post. A second bracket is supported by the first bracket for pivotal movement about a first pivot axis by the first bracket. The first pivot axis extends transversely to the seat post. A saddle-type seat is fixed relative to the second bracket. A latching mechanism cooperates between the first and second brackets for latching the seat in its position. This latching mechanism includes a fixed latching member carried by the first bracket and a second, releasably movable, cooperating latching member that is carried by the second bracket and which engages the first latching member for holding the seat in its latched position.